Neighbors say Ludlow resident George Stuart, involved in hours-long standoff with state and local police, was friendly and helpful

LUDLOW — Center Street resident Jane Konderwicz knows her next-door neighbor, George W. Stuart, to be a generous man, always willing to clear snow from her driveway or come over to replace a blown fuse.

Stuart, a 71-year-old retired Springfield police officer, is in fair condition at Baystate Medical Center after suffering from a gunshot wound, apparently self-inflicted, in the woods behind his home at 795 Center St. Wednesday night following an hours-long standoff with police.

Police became aware of the incident when they were summoned to Stuart’s home for a well-being check at about 10:30 a.m.

A fire was reported there about three minutes later and that was followed by a seven-hour standoff between the armed and suicidal man and state and local police in the sprawling woods behind his home.

I can’t get over it,” said Konderwicz late Thursday morning. “I can’t get over it. I was dumbfounded when they said what happened.”

Another neighbor, who also lives a short distance away from Stuart, said she too was shocked by the news. ”They were great people,” said the woman who declined to give her name. “They were loved by everybody.”

George Graham / The Republican7-19-12 - Ludlow - Home of George Stuart, 795 Center St., the day after a fire broke out there and he became enmeshed in a seven-hour standoff with state and local police. The windows have been boarded up and yellow police tape remains cordoning off the backyard.

Konderwicz’s living room window has a direct view into Stuart’s well-manicured backyard – still cordoned with yellow police tape late Thursday morning. A number of vehicles, which she said belonged to police investigators, could be seen parked back there.

Konderwicz said her last interaction with her long-time neighbor came Saturday when she lost power and called over to see if he had lost his as well.

Stuart told Konderwicz that his own power had not gone off and he promptly came over and replaced the blown fuse that caused her outage.

“He was always very helpful to me,” said Konderwicz. “He used to snowblow my driveway.”

Konderwicz said that her home aide saw Stuart “busy doing something” in his garage on Wednesday morning, about a half-hour before the fire broke out.

The aide, Konderwicz said, toyed with the idea of going over to see if she could help him as a means of returning the favor for Saturday’s kindness. She ultimately decided against it, however, because Konderwicz was under her care and she didn’t want to leave the property.

According to records in the Hampden Probate and Family Court, Stuart was scheduled to attend a hearing on his pending divorce that very morning.

Neighbors at the scene of the standoff Wednesday night said that Stuart’s wife, Rena Brunelle, had stopped living at the home a number of weeks ago.

Konderwicz said about a half-hour after her aide spotted Stuart inside his garage, the aide “heard a bang and saw black smoke....She woke me up. She said ‘Get out of the house! Get out of the house!’”

Konderwicz said she spent much of the day after that inside the Europa restaurant across the street as firefighters fought the blaze and later, police – many wearing bullet-proof vests and armed with high-power rifles – responded to the scene.

Konderwicz said she returned to her home later in the day and heard a single gunshot as the standoff came to a close. Her aide, Konderwicz said, reported hearing two gunshots “and then it was police running all over the place,” she said.

“The involved subject had discharged his weapon causing injury to himself as Commissioner Fitchet bravely attempted to disarm him,” stated the release, citing Ludlow Police Chief James J. McGowan, who was also at the scene.

The release states if Stuart “survives his injuries, it is because of the commissioner’s brave actions.”

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said Wednesday night that the situation ended when Stuart, an expert marksman, fired at least two shots.

Others at the scene reported hearing numerous gunshots.

Fichet, seen entering the Ludlow police station early Thursday afternoon, referred comment on the events of the night before to Ludlow police. Ludlow police, however, said they had no additional information to release.

The Ludlow police log sheds no light whatsoever on the hours-long standoff and the massive police response. The only entry for all of Wednesday that seemingly pertains to the incident is a report of a fire at Center Street at 10:33 a.m.